Emphysema

A type of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) where the the narrowing airways can cause the air sacs (alveoli) responsible to take oxygen into the blood and carbon dioxide from the blood into the air breathed out becomes damaged (the fine mesh of capillaries in the alveoli becomes damaged) and are not working the way they should.

• As a result the lungs don’t fully empty when breathing out and air becomes trapped causing breathing difficulties and eventually affecting the heart and the rest of the body.
• The blood has lower levels of oxygen than it should and increased levels of carbon dioxide than it should.

Further damage can also occur:

• The airways of healthy lungs have elastic properties, but in lungs that are repeatedly exposed to irritants, the airways lose their elasticity and become thickened and swollen.
• This swelling means that the passageway for air becomes narrower.
• If the same person also has chronic bronchitis (ongoing inflammation of the lining of the bronchial tubes), the mucus present can further contribute to narrowing of the air passages and clogging of the air sacs, further reducing their ability to function.
• As the number of functional air sacs reduces, the number of capillaries servicing the damaged alveoli also gradually reduces.

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Emphysema characteristics include the following:

• Patients may be very thin, with a barrel chest.
• Patients typically have little or no cough or expectoration.
• Breathing may be assisted by pursed lips and use of accessory respiratory muscles; patients may adopt the tripod sitting position.
• The chest may be hyperresonant, and wheezing may be heard.
• Heart sounds are very distant.
• Overall appearance is more like that of a classic COPD exacerbation.

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Diagnosis test

• Spirometry Readings

The Pharmaceutical Journal, PJ October 2020, Vol 305, No 7942;305(7942):
DOI:10.1211/PJ.2020.20208431

• Using a stethoscope

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Oxygen Saturation test (via Oxygen level meter)

• Oxygen saturation (SpO₂) is an important diagnostic tool and measures the amount of haemoglobin-bound oxygen and free oxygen.
• The partial pressure of arterial O₂ (PaO₂) is measured by arterial blood gas monitoring. In healthy individuals, SpO₂ is usually >95%.
• In patients with chronic lung disease or sleep apnoea, SpO₂ can range between 88–92%.

McNicholas W, Kent, Mitchell. Hypoxemia in patients with COPD: cause, effects, and disease progression. COPD 2011;:199. doi:10.2147/copd.s10611